Process of and apparatus for blending textile fibers



D.STEVENS June 18, 1929.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR BLENDING TEXTILE FIBERS Filed April 4, 19272 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 18, 1929. STEVENS 1,717,633

PRocEss OF AND APPARATUS FOR BLENDING TEXTILE FIBERS Filed April 4, 19272 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 18, 1929.

PATENT. OFFICE.

DEXTER STEVENS, OF ESMOND, RHODE ISLAND.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR BLENDING TEXTILE FIBERS.

Application filed April 4,

This invention pertains to a processof and apparatus for mixing andblending fibrous materials preparatory to the manu' facture of textileyarns and fabrics. For the production of certain types of textilefabrics it is necessary to mix or blend two or more batches of fiber inorder to obtain the requisite characteristics or to secure uniformity ofcolor, quality, feel, etc. throughout the entire product. For example,mixtures of cotton fiber with wool, hair, silk, etc., are frequentlyemployed as well as mixtures of fibers of the same kind, for example,cotton but of different staple or which have undergone differentpreliminary treatments. Likewise fibers of thesame or different kindsbut differently colored are frequently mixed to produce intermediateshades or tints or to give mottled effects while, on the other hand, itis essential even when the fiber employed is all of the same kind,quality and color, to open out the fiber as received at the mill(whether in bales, sacks, or other form of package) and to mix itthoroughly before it is spun into yarn in order to produce yarn ofuniform quality.

While many processes of and machines for mixing textile fiber are wellknown, I have found that many of the usual processes, even if productiveof reasonably good results, consume an undue amount of time and power,and demand the use of machines or appliances which occupy a great dealof floor space, while such. machines and appliances are often of veryexpensive character.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improvedprocess of mixing and blending fiber and mechanism for use in thepractice of the process, both process and mechanism being simple andrelatively inexpensive and requiring but little floor space, as comparedwith the usual blending processes and apparatus, while at the same timeproducing a more thorough mixing and blending than any process orapparatus heretofore known to me, the new process and apparatus beingfully capable of mixing fibers of different colors so as to produce aneven distribution of the color in the mix, this being one of the mostdifficult operations to perform successfully which is encountered in thepreparatory stages of textile manufacture.

1927. Serial No. 180,654.

My improved process comprises a plurality of steps and may bevaried inminorparticulars in accordance with the kind and character of the fiber,the purpose to which the mixed fiber is to be put, and the condition ofthe fiber as received at the first stage of my novel process Forexample, if it be desired to mix batches of red and white fiber, the twobatches mayaconveniently be dumped together into the feed hopperor binof any one or more of the usual preliminary textile machines such, forinstance, as bale breakers, openers, pickers, or'feeders, which tend toopen out'andloosen the fiber. While such machines are often described asmixing the fiber, it should be remembered thatnone of thesemachines isoperating upon more than a few pounds of fiber atany given instant, andwhile tosome extentsuch machines do mix the fiber which at any giventime is within their range of action, they can not be depended upon toblend and produce an uniform mixture throughout a mass running intohundreds and even thousandsof pounds, and which passes through themachinein a stream of relatively small volume.

Having thus opened up the fiber and separated it into small masses orfl0cks,as is usual in textile practice, the first essential step in mynew process is to spread a thin broad layer of the opened fiber evenlyupon a substantially horizontal floor, table, endless belt, or creeper,such belt or creeper being preferred for reasons hereinafter described.

Preferably, though not necessarily, the spreading of the fiber is donepneumatically by delivering the fiber into an air blast from which thefiber is permitted to settle down by gravity onto the floor, table orbelt in much the same way that snow accumulates upon the ground. Thinfirst layer of fiber is followed by a second very thin broad layersimilarly deposited, and this by a third, and so on until theaccumulated fiber has attained a substantial depth forming a pile, heapo1 drift preferably from three to five feet deep. If the fiber bedeposited pneumatically, as above suggested, there need be no actualinterruption between the laying of successive strata or layers, and infact the strata normally merge imperceptibly into a each other bycontinuous fall of the fiber CTI ' usual so-called mixing machines.

particles upon the accumulated mass below. However, it is to beremembered that the drift or heap necessarily represents the summationof theincremental portions of fiber which at any given moment arefalling upon the upper surface of the pile.

Assuming that this heap, or drift of superimposed strata'has thus beenbuilt up, I next proceed to remove from one face of the drift or heap athin substantially vertical slice or section, delivering the fiber thusremoved by mechanical or pneumatic means'to the next machine or processinvolved in the system of manufacture in which my novel process isinterpolated. It must be evident that such a vertical slice, taken fromthe side face of the'pile may be considered as, and in fact, is,composed of a series of narrow strands, ribbons or hands, one from eachof theseveral laminae or layers constituting the heap, and may thus beregarded as constituting an average sample of the entire mass. It is tobe remembered that each layer is deposited (preferably by distributing agiven and relatively small quantity of the fibrous material over a broadhorizontal area) is qu te thin. Thus for example, if'the fiber be wellseparated: and flocculent, such a layer, may conceivablybe only a fewfibers thick, and, it is evident that such a vertical slice,particularly if quite thin horizontally, constitutes as nearly a perfectrepresentative mixture of the large body of material constituting theentire heap as could Well be obtained. Since such a'vertical slice isthus representative of the entire mass, it follows that by continuing toremove such thin vertical sections or slices from the mass anddelivering such slices successively to the next machine or operation Imay obtain a nearly perfect miX-,

ture of the material. Thus, by making the heap of large dimensions, thatis to say, for example, making it to consist at anyinstan't of severalhundred pounds or more of fiber, it is evident that a much moreuniformmixture can be obtained than by any of the I may also continue toremove and deliver vertical slices from the pile until the entire pileis used up, and I find, for example, that if I deliver such successiveslices directly to a carding machine, the resulting sliver from suchcarding machine is of uniform character and in. the instance abovecited, contains red and White fibers in the desired proportion and, souniformly distributed as to produce a yarn of extremely uniform shade.

Asthus far described the process would be intermittent, but in orderthat it may be continuous I may proceed either by build 'ing up oneiheapor pile While slicing off a portion of a previously formed pile, or

preferably I perform both the building and slicing operationssimultaneously. This latter procedure may be carried out by continuallyadvancing the growing pile toward the slicing means, as for example byspreading the fiber upon a slowlymoving table, belt or creeper, andcontinuing to deposit the material upon thi moving support atsubstantially the same rate that I remove material in sections from theupright face of the heap. V

In practicing this continuous process it is preferable first to build upa heap of the desired depth or number of layers or lamince before theslicing operation begins, and

of the present process, I contemplate that alternate layers of laminaeof the pile or drift above referred to may each consist wholly of nberirom one of said batches, that is LO say, if, as. above suggested, onebatch of fiber be red ant the other White, the first layer deposited maybe'entirely of red fiber, the second of White, thethird of red, and soon. @n the other hand, when pneumatic means is employed for deliveringthe fiber to the pile or heap, the fiber from the several batches maysi1m1lta.eously be delivered by means, for example, of separatepneumatic conveyors and allowed to settle indiscriminately on the heap.Further, while such pneumatic means, that is, an air current, bearingthe fiber in suspension is a desirable agent for depositing the fiber, Icontemplate that mechanicalor other means may be employed for thepurpose as, for example, a moving belt'upon which the fiber is placedand which is provided with suitable discharge means for distributing thefiber evenly over the desired area.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one. form of apparatususeful in practicing the present process, although I wish it to beunderstood that the process herein described is not necessarily limitedto thisparticular mechanism or apparatus but may be performed by the useof any other appropriate means.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic side elevation, partly broken away and partlyin section, illustrating the preferred apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, showing the centralportion of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, but 10 larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 1,but to much larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the right-hand portion of theapparatus (as viewed in Fig. 1), but illustrating the opposite sidethereof and to larger scale; and v Fig. is a fragmentary verticalsection substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

In performing the present process I find it convenient to employ anelongate casing 1 which may be constructed of any desired material such,for example, as wood, sheet metal, composition board, or the like, andwhich provides a large enclosed chamber 2 in which the essential stepsof the present process are carried out. The casing l preferablycomprises side walls 3 and 3 and the top 4, consisting of panelssupported by a suitable framework 5. If desired this casing may have oneor more doors as indicated, for example, at 1 to give access to thechamher 2 for inspection of the contents of the chamber or forobservation of the operation while going on. Preferably the end 70f thecasing 1 is not as high as the opposite end.

For good results I have found that a casing of approximately twenty-fivefeet in length, five feet in width and varying in height fromapproximately five feet at one end to about eight feet at the other endis suitable for the purpose. WVhile I have just mentioned certaindefinite dimensions, it is to be understood that these are merelyillustrative of the general proportions of parts which I have foundsuitable and are not in any way to be regarded as restrictive of theinvention.

The casing is preferably supported upon legs 6 or other appropriatemeans so as to space it a little way above the floor of the workroom,and the high or delivery end of the casing'preferably merges into ametallic end frame of easing 8 adapted to support various shaftshereinafter referred to.

At a point adjacent to the low end 7 of the casing I mount a shaft 9 insuitable bearin gs, such shaft supporting a roller 10 forming a guideand support for one end of an endless conveyor belt or creeper 11consisting of a flexible base member 13 (Fig. 5) of canvas or othersuitable material and a series of transverse slats 12 suitably securedto this canvas base. The upper run of this endless belt 11 constitutesthe floor of the chamber 2, such upper run being substantiallyhorizontal. The opposite end of this belt passes around a roller 14mounted upon a shaft 15 journaled in the end casing 8. The upper run ofthe belt is preferably supported by means of a series of rollers 16,while the lower run of the belt is also preferably sup ported by rollers16, the rollers 16 and 16 being journaled in suitable bracketsconveniently carried by the legs 6. The upper run of the belt 11 fitssnugly against the lower edges of the side walls 3 and 3 of the easing,and if desired suitable packing material such, for example, as a band ofsoft leather,

canvas,or the like, may be arranged at this point to'prevent the escapeof air and fiber from beneath the edges of the casing.

A suitable stand 17' provides journal bearings for a main driveshaft 18which may carry tight and loose pulleys, (not shown) adapted to receivea drive belt leading to a suitable source of power. The shaft 18 alsocarries a pulley 19 about which the belt2O passes. This belt 20 engagesa pulley upon a shaft 21 extending transversely through the end casing8' and having secured to its opposite end a sprocket wheel 22 (Fig. 4c).The sprocket wheel'22 is connected, by means of a sprocket chain 28, toa sprocket wheel 24 turning upon a stud shaft 25 mounted upon the casing8. This sprocket wheel 24 is fixed to a gear 26 meshing with a gear 27upon a shaft 28 extending tranversely' through the end casing 8. Thisshaft 28 carries a roller supporting the upper end of an endless spikeapron 29. The lower end of this apron passes around [a roller 20 closely adjacent to the roller 14 and carried by a shaft 31 journaled in theend casing 8 and which drives (by means of suitable speed reducinggearing) the shaft 15 above referred to. As thus arranged the speed ofthe spike apron 29 is much greater than that of the slat apron or belt11. As here shown the spike apron 29 extends upw'ardly from the deliveryend of the beltll and 'is pref erably somewhat inclined from thevertical and away from the beltor apron 11. However, I may, if desired,arrange-this slat apron so that its active run will be vertical, or Imay arrange it to incline in the opposite direction from the vertical,as compared with the arrangement shown herein.

Furthermore, I{ contemplate that certain of the desirableresultsattainable by the practiceof my process'may be secured by arranging thespike apronor its equivalent so as to move in a horizontal pathtransverse to the path of, movement of the belt 11.

The shaft 21 carries adoffer device, not

shown, for removing the fiber from the upper end of the spike apron 29,whereby to deliver it into the mouth of the conveyor pipe 32 which maylead to any desired apparatus in which the fiber is further treated. Forexample, this pipe maylead to a card ing machine or to a card feeder ofusual construction, not herein shown, as it forms no part of the presentinvention.

At the opposite end of the casing 1 IPYO- vide an inlet conduit 33,preferably inclining upwardly at the point Where it enters the casing.This conduit 33 is of a cross-sectional area very considerably less thanthat of the casing 1 so that air entering at a given velocity throughthe conduit 33 loses its velocity very quickly as it passes into thechamber 2. After the air has flowed at relatively slow speedlongitudinally ofthe chamber 2, it passes outagain through the pipe I 32where its velocity increases sufficiently to by hand or by suitable feedmechanism. The,

picker .35 and the feeder 36 are here shown merely as illustrative ofmeans for roughly openingpand mingling the fiber before delivery to thecasing l, but the present invenspecific exemplification of the processherein ti-on is not concerned with the particular form of apparatususedin the preliminary treatment of the fiber, except that, for theillustrated, it is desirable to deliver the fiber into the conduit 33while in suspension in an air current of high velocity adapted to carryit'through the conduit 33 and to deliver it' into the chamber 2 in theform of a jet.

Asthe air flowing through the conduit 33 enters the chamber 2 it movesin an up -wardly inclined jet or stream, as indicated by the arrows at38, but as this jet rapidly loses velocity, the fiber which is carriedby the jet gradually settles by the action of gravity ina thin layerupon the floor or belt 11 and eventually builds up an elongate heapordrift 39 consisting of a large num berof superposed layers, strata orlamina. Sinceby reasonfof the momentum of the entering fiber and thedraft of air'always moving longitudinallyof the casing, these layers,strata or laminae tend to be thicker atthe right-hand end of the casing(as viewed in Fig. 2) than at the opposite end, and thus thedriftusually takes somewhat the form indicated in Fig. 2, thatis to say,it is deepest at the point most remote from the conduit 33, from'whichpoint it'tapers gradually toward the end 7 of the casing, the length ofthe drift,'under properworking conditions,

preferably being at least twice its maximum depth. This drift, asdiagrammatically indicated in Fig. 2, consists of a great number of thinsuperposed layers or laminae since 1t is evident that at each successiveinstant in. the operation of the apparatus a certain quantity of fibersettles out of the air onto the previously. accumulated heap or drift,

and thus the material which accumulates during any short interval oftime, no matter how short such interval may be taken, may

' be considered as constituting a distinct layer, although such layersusually merge imperceptibly into one another. Since the area of thefloor 11 of the chamber is large,

as compared with the quantity of cotton at any instant in suspensionabove it, it is clear wouldaccumulate to any substantialdcpth at onepoint upon the floor of the casing.

The spike apron 2 9 constitutes the effective end wall for the chamber2, at the end remote from the conduit 33, and the drift of fiber buildsup against the active or upwardly movable run of this spike apron. Afterthe drift has once been built up to a substantial thickness the spikeapron and the belt 11 are started into operation, and it is obvious thatthe upward movement of the spike apron 29 tends to separate a thin layerof fiber from the end of the pile and to carry such thin layer upwardlyto the point where it is dotted from, the spike apron by the dotfercarried on the shaft 21. If the belt,

rial delivered into the casing.

In the continuous course of operation of the mechanism, the spike apronis continuously fed by'the forward movement of the beltll so that asfast as it removes the fiber from the advancing face of theheap, freshfiber is presented by the movement of belt 11 and the operation is thusuninterruptec It is thus possible to consider that the spike apronremoves a continuous slice from the end of the heap, such slice at anyinstant consisting of portionsof all-of the several layers as abovereferred to. The slow movement of the belt 11 continues to move the pileor heap bodily toward the spike apron, enabling the latter to bite offportions of the end of the heap at substantially the same rate that theheap is built up by deposit of new layers upon its upper surface, andthus the mixing and'blending operation may be continuedas long asmaterial is furnished to the spike apron. As the rate of the belt is thebelt driven at the same rate as the spike apron, a selective removal offiber of one kind from the heap or mass might be expected. I

Since the fiber is deposited so gently,'it forms a very loose, light andfioceulent heap from which all heavy dirt and dust tends to fall freelyonto the belt where it collects in the recesses between the slats and iseventually dumped as the belt passes downwardly about the roller let.Moreover, the low widely extended slowly movingheap, in the presence ofthe large volume of air moving through the chamber, furnishes idealcondi tions for aeration of they fiber permitting it to bloom, fluffout, and regain its original shape and elasticity. 7

While this method of depositing thematerial pneumatically is verydesirable, I contemplate, as above suggested, that the material may bedeposited upon the moving floor or belt 11 in other ways than by the useof air. For example, it is conceivable that suitable mechanical meansfor performing the same operation might wellbe employed, any such,device being cons dered to be the equivalent of the pneumatic meansherein specifically illustrated.

While I have illustrated a spike apron 29 as the means for slicing oithe fiber at the end of the heap I wish itto be understood that this ismerely illustrative of suitable means for performing this operationsince I contemplate that other means might be employed for producing thesame result. It is also to be understood that the relative speeds of thespike apron and floor 1 1 are not necessarily such as herein disclosedbut that under other circumstancesand in dealing with fiber of othercharacter a different relative speed of these moving parts might Well befound desirable. Moreover, I do not consider that the exact shape of thecasing is an essential feature of the invention since I contemplate thatdesirable results may be obtained with casings of other type andconceivably in the open workroom, although it is evident that the latterarrangement would hardly be practical due to the enormous loss of fiberwhich would probably occur and the unhealthy conditions of the workroomresulting from the great accumulation of lint and fly in the air.

I claim: 1. That method of mixing textile fibers of a type suitable forspinning which comprises delivering all of the fiber which is to bemixed into air moving at high velocity, discharging said fiber-ladenairin the form of an upwardly inclined jet into a closed space in which theair current loses velocity, permitting the suspended fiber to settle andform an elongate drift, advancingthe drift bodily in alongitudinaldirection, and constantly removing the fiber which at any given instantconstitutes the advancingend of the drift. 1

2. That method of mixing textile fiber of a kind suitable for spinningwhich comprises blowing all of the fiber by means of an air current intoa closed chamber to form an elongate drift in said chamber, that end ofthe drift remote from the point .ofentrance of the fiber being higherthan the other, moving the drift bodily with: its deeper end in advance,removing vertical sections from its advancing end while continuing toadd fiber to. its upper surface.

3. Apparatus for use in mixing textile fiber of a kind suitable forspinning, said apparatus comprising a substantially air-tight hollowcasing providing an elongategchanr ber, means for delivering a fiberladen cure,

rent of air at high velocity and of relatively small cross section, ascompared with the section of the chamber, into one end of the a chamber,the currentmoving longitudinally of the chamberthe sudden reductioninairvelocity of the entering air causing the fiber to be deposited ina driftwithin the chamber, and means moving transversely of'the direction ofthe entering air current. for

removing fiber from that side of the'drift remote from the point ofentrance of the air current and pneumatic means for \conveying suchremoved fiber from. the chamber. c

4. .Apparatus for use 'm mixing textile fiber suitable for spinningwhich comprises an elongate substantially air-tight hollow casing higherat one end than the other, a pneumatic conveyor conduit entering thelower end of the casing, means for delivering fiber-laden air into thecasing through said conduit whereby tobuild up a driftofliber, saiddrift being higher at the high end of the casing than at the oppositeend, an upwardly moving spike apron adjacentto the higher end of thecasing, the high end of the drift engaging the upwardly moving apron,and means for ;moving the apron ghereby to remove fiber from the "end ofthe ri t. I I I c 5. Apparatus for'use inmixing textile fiber suitablefor spinning comprising'a casing providing an elongate chamber, anendless belt constituting the floor of the chamber, means forblowing'allof the fiber to be drift being highest near such remote end of c thechamberfa spike apron defining the remote end of the drift, and meansfor moving the spike apron whereby to remove fiber from said end'of thedrift, thelinearspeed' of the spike apron being greater than that of thebelt.

6. Apparatus for use in mixing textile fiber, suitable forspinningcomprising a cas-- providing substantially air-tight elongate chamber,an endless slat apron constitilting the floor,- of the chamber, aconduit leading into anend of the 'chamber, said conduit beinginclinedupwardly, meansfor deliveringv a current of fiber-laden airthrough said conduit into the chamber in an upwardly: inclined jet, thefiber carried by said jet spreading laterally and longitudinally of thechamber and forming a drift upon the slat apron, an upwardly movingspike apron defining that end of the drift c remotefrom the enteringair-jet, means for s moving the slat apron slowly toward the spikeapron, and meanstor'moving the'latterat a relatively highspeed;

7 That continuous process of treating textile fiber of'a kind suitablefor spinning 'positingsaid flocks over a widely extended which,comprises as steps depositing all of the fiber to be treated in widelyextended superposed strata to form a heap, advancing said heap bodilywhile maintaining said strata substantially undisturbed in relativeposition, and -continuously removing fiber from the advancing layers ofthe several strata. I

8.-That continuous process of treating textile fibers suitable Y forspinning which comprises separating allot the fiber to be treated intosmall flocks, continuously dearea to form superposed laminae which arethicker at one end than at the other-and which merge withone another toform a heap which is deepest adjacent to one end, and

removing substantially vertical slices from said deeper end of the heap.

' 9. That continuous process of treating textile fibers suitable forspinning which comprises as steps continuously depositing all ofthe'fiber to be treated in widely-eX- tended superposed substantiallyparallel layers to form a heap, and maintaining the layers substantiallyundisturbed in relative position while continuously removing the fiberconstitutingone edge only of each of said layers,

' 10. Thatcontinuous process of treating textile" fiber suitable forspinning which comprises as steps delivering all of'the fiber to betreated in flocculent condition and at high velooityiand in such adirection into c ing'in depth from oneend toward the other, a and,continuously removing substantially one end of an, elongate chamber asto cause the fiber to sweep lengthwise of the chamber--v and form anelongate drift or heap increasvertical sections from the deeper end ofthe drift.

11.-Thatprocess of mixing textile fiber suitable for spinning whichcomprises as steps delivering allof the fiber to be mixed at highvelocity onto a slowly moving conveyor travelling in the same general;direction as the fiber whereby tobuild up adrift of fiber deepest at itsadvancing end, and moving a spike apron at high velocity compared withthat of the conveyor, along the advancing face of the heap wherebycontinuously to remove fiber from said faces.

12. That method of cleaning,-mixing and aeratingtextile fiber "suitablefor spinning which comprises delivering all of the fiber to be treatedin loose flocculent condition into a body of air and'permitting thefiber to settle out of the air upon an endless conveyor having openspaces into which dirt may drop, the fibers forming a loose drift'ofgreater length than height, moving the conveyor to advance'thedriftbodily, and continuously removing fiber from the entire area of theadvancing end of the drift, the speed ofthe conveyor being, so slow asto allow substantial aeration of the fiber with recovery of its normalshape and elasticity before it reaches the spike apron.

13. Apparatus for use in mixing textile fiber of a character suitablefor spinning :the delivery end of the casing, a conveyor constitutingthe eitective floor of the casing,

means for moving 'said'conveyor slowly toward the discharge end of thecasing, a spike apron extending upwardly from the delivery end of theconveyor, means for driving the spike apron at a speed substantiallygreater than that of the conveyor, a doii'er shaft adjacent to the upperend of the spike apron,

and a pipe leading from the upper part of the delivery end ofthe casing,said pipe providing a passage for a fiber conveying'air current.

14:. Apparatus for use in mixing textile fiber of a character suitablefor spinning comprising an velongate substantially airtight casing ofaheight 'at'its receiving end approximately one-fifth-of its length andof a height at its delivery end approximating one-third of its length,said casing comprising fixed side, top andend walls, a floor for thecasingcomprising an endless conveyor belt whose upper run moves insubstantially air-tight contact with the side walls of the casing, aspike apron within the casing at its delivery end, said apron extendingupwardly from the delivery end of the conveyor belt, an inletconduitentering the receiving end of the casing in an upwardly inclineddirection, and a discharge pipe leading fromthe delivery endof thecasing. a

15. In combination with a picker device -.for picking textile fiber of.a suitable staple for spinning, a conduitleading from said pickerthrough Which all of the fiber to be treated is conveyed by an aircurrent, an elongate casing into which said conduit delivers itsfiber-laden air current, said casing comprising top and side Wallsdefining a chamber in which the velocity of the air current decreasesand wherein the fiber settles in an elongate drift, a delivery conduitextending from that end of the cham- 10 her opposite to that at whichthe fiber enters, and means for removing portions of the fiber from thedrift and feeding itinto'said delivery conduit.

Signed by me at Esm'ond, Rhode Island 15 this 1st day of April 1927.

DEXTER STEVENS.

